May 30 2001
Hoover Dam(n)!
After seeing Blue Man Group at the Luxor, Garrett and I wandered around the strip trying to think of what to do next. We decided that we had seen Las Vegas and that anything else we did at that point would be just a repeat of what we had done already. Garrett suggested we check out early and see the Grand Canyon - something that I am very glad we agreed to do.
On the way out of town we stopped and did the tourist thing at
Hoover Dam. I felt as if I were walking in the shoes of the great one
himself - Chevy Chase, as I stood on Hoover Dam overlooking the river below.
Well, it finally happened. After 5 straight days of
running as hard as I could to see the sights I had to crash. Remember this
moment, because I want to make it clear that MY crash didn't happen on the
highway.
Here I am, impressing all the other tourists with my "biker guy crashed out at
the Hoover Dam lobby" impersonation. This happened while we waited for the
tour group to form and I managed about 30 good minutes of sleep. My time
was well spent, for the tour would consist of a small asian woman shrieking
incomprehensible broken english at us regarding the various facts and figures of
Hoover Dam - I was glad I was rested up for it - as I was worried there might be
a test or something and I wanted to make sure I gathered as much as I could
about the number of "garrons" of water that were allowed to "reak through the
craks" of the dam.
I love Garrett - he is like a brother to me. Oh, wait a minute. Seriously, Garrett is a good friend and I am proud that we share the same blood. That being said, Garrett is definitely more in touch with his inner nerd than I like to acknowledge. He looked like an idiot in this hat, so I had to take a picture.
The hardhats were required for the tour, but Garrett liked his so much he wore it for the rest of the trip.
Here he is again - he just loved that hat:
Ok - I am just kidding about the "rest of the trip" part. You'll notice there are no pictures of ME in the hat. That is because this is my story and I'll tell it any damn way I please . . .
Ok - FINE, here is one of me in the damn hat
.
After the tour was over, Garrett and I pitched the hats and
posed for this last picture before we hit the road for Flagstaff Arizona - where
we would stay the night and prepare our assault on the Grand Canyon the next
day.